


Prince(sses) In Waiting

by booabug (allthisink)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Actual Disney Princess Adrien Agreste, Denial more than the river in Egypt, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, adrien and marinette not the focus but they're still oblivious dorks, hopefully not that slow of a burn but lmao if you think I ever plan anything out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-06-18
Packaged: 2018-07-10 16:58:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6996766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allthisink/pseuds/booabug
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Alya, Nino, and Adrien have a group presentation to work on, they have to work on it at Alya's place since she has to look after her little sisters too. Having forgotten to get a presentation board, she tries to send the boys but Adrien, being the bro and wingman he is, insists she goes with Nino while he holds down the fort.</p><p>Despite Alya's doubts, they return to find Adrien having a tea party with the girls. (I have doubts about Alya correctly assessing her feelings for Nino.)</p><p>Began as a one-shot, now will be a multi-chapter with Adrien and Marinette as the wingmen because there is not enough truly DJWiFi-centric fanfic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prince(sses) In Waiting

**Author's Note:**

> Started with a [simple little idea post on Tumblr.](http://booabug.tumblr.com/post/145026551553/imagine-if-you-will) People liked the idea, [so I wrote it.](http://booabug.tumblr.com/post/145043451553/princesses-in-waiting)

Nino's been over plenty of times. He knows how it is. So when Alya tells Adrien, "Brace yourself, boy," he backs her words up with a solemn nod. Adrien has the sense to look slightly alarmed.

She feels a bit guilty about subjecting him to this, but this is one of the longest stretches of free time in his schedule, and her parents really need her to babysit.  
  
She turns the key, opens the door, and reveals the forces of nature that are her little sisters stampeding towards them. Both of her legs are immediately clamped onto Lina and Maryam while Cécile, who's always liked Nino, monopolizes both of his. Adrien might be the only one who isn't physically immobilized, but he doesn't move. Clever boy. They lock onto movement. It's only after all of them catch up their big sister, in a jumble of words, speaking over one another, on who's been naughty and how in the ten minutes her parents have been away that they notice the newcomer.  
  
He waves down at them with a nervous chuckle and gives them one of his picture perfect friendly grins. "Hi there, I'm Adrien. I'm working with Nino and Alya on a presentation. It's very nice to meet you."  
  
The two on Alya loudly introduce themselves while Cécile shuffles a bit to hide partially behind Nino and mumbles her hello. He ruffles her hair, earning a smile. "It's alright, little dude, he's cool. He's my best buddy!"  
  
She takes his words of recommendation as good enough and approaches. She's the youngest, shyest, but most mature. She holds out a tiny hand and says in her soft but serious voice, "Hewwo, Adwien, I'm Cécile."  
  
'Adwien' breaks out into an eye crinkling grin and crouches down on one knee to shake her hand in his own, much larger one.  
  
Shortly after, he's bowled over by Lina and Maryam jumping on him and asking rapid fire questions.

 

* * *

  
  
Alya sends the boys to her room to start working while she settles her 'little angels' down with food and their favourite cartoons. Every once in a while, she hears an argument and has to yell one of their names before excusing herself from their work to defuse the situation. It's after one such time that she comes back and the boys suddenly stop a slightly heated conversation as she enters the room. They look up with far too innocent smiles from where they sit on the floor.  
  
"Alright, what is it? I know fake innocent when I see it. I can tell I missed something, I just had to do juice cleanup, and I don't need you two giving me trouble too."  
  
Nino looks a little red as he says, "Oh, it's just, we realized we don't have the uh, the- what's it called?"  
  
"Cardboard tri-fold," Adrien says.  
  
Alya slaps her forehead. Of course. The thing they have to present their presentation on. "Right, sorry, I said I would get it, didn't I? I got busy and totally spaced. Can you boys run out while I watch the girls?"  
  
Nino begins to agree when Adrien cuts in, "I don't really know the area and I get lost easily, so it's probably better if you two go!"  
  
"You do remember being knocked on your butt in the entrance way by the girls just now, right?" Alya crosses her arms with a quirk of her brow. "You're sure you can handle them?"  
  
"Yeah, no, I remember, but I don't mind at all! I love kids, I just never get to play with them. I don't get to interact with that kind of energy as much as I'd like, you know? I'd love to stay and spend some time with them."  
  
Alya doesn't know Adrien too well, but she knows enough that what he's saying rings true. "Well... If you're sure."  
  
"Absolutely!" He says, standing quickly. He has to help a more hesitant Nino up. He even gives him a slap on the back as they all make their way out.  
  
"Alright, girls, Nino and I have to run out for a minute, but Adrien's staying with you," Alya tells her little sisters. _"Behave."_  
  
When she and Nino are outside the door and locking up, she hears a muffled exchange between Adrien and Lina who says, "Big Sis talks with her best friend a lot about you on the phone, you know! Marinette likes your cute butt and fancy hair, she told Sis, I heard it."  
  
"She thinks it's fancy?"  
  
Alya and Nino snicker as they walk to the elevator.  
  
"I can't believe she's been eavesdropping on me."  
  
"Uh, probably because she gets it from you?"  
  
"I don't eavesdrop, okay? I gather information when necessary."  
  
"Right, and I think music is just a bunch of senseless noise," he chuckles.  
  
"Smart guy," she says, pushing the call button.  
  
They're silent as they wait for the elevator. It's a companionable silence, but things have been... Well, not weird, but different between them ever since the whole zoo thing. She tries not to think about it too much. Her best friend does enough overthinking about crushes for the both of them and, unlike her, Alya isn't oblivious.  
  
She's pretty sure Nino kind of has a crush on her. She's caught the looks he hurriedly directs away from her. She knows that, being from a big family with cuddly siblings, her bubble of personal space is smaller than most. She knows that Nino, being an only child, isn't like that. Regardless, he has no problem with moving around close to her and vice versa. That's got to mean something more for him than her.  
  
The elevator arrives and they enter. They end up shoulder to shoulder, even though it's empty. It's pretty warm in there, she guesses it must have been full just before. He pushes the button for the ground floor as she pulls out her phone.  
  
"I'm going to check if there's any office supply stores closer than the one I usually go to. We have to be quick, Nino, the girls are gonna eat that boy alive."  
  
"Ahh, he's like a big kid himself, really. He'll be fine."  
  
"Mm-hmm," Alya hums in doubt. Part of her registers that the doors have opened, but she doesn't need to look up from her phone. She never does when they're together, Nino's used to her getting absorbed by the screen.  
  
He puts an arm around her shoulders, _in a brotherly way,_ and guides her out, keeping in step as she walks briskly. It doesn't matter if she rushes, he redirects her with subtle pushes and pulls she responds to naturally as needed. She holds her phone up to show him the route to the nearest store and he leans in, putting it to memory. Turning her head would mean bumping into his so she just looks over to see him furrow his brows and squint in concentration.  
  
Their pace is already making her heart beat faster. She should really take up jogging or something.  
  
"Boy, I see you squinting, you need new glasses or something? You're going to have big old nerdy coke bottle glasses soon."  
  
"Pfft, you're one to talk. You've always got your nose in a book, or a comic, or your phone, or your computer monitor... Heck, I'm practically already your seeing-eye dog," he squeezes her shoulder for emphasis.  
  
She can't come up with a retort, though she hates when he gets the last word in their little back and forths. Thankfully, Nino lets go to open the store's door for her, so their little repartee is off. He looks around the store, a big chain one. "Yo, this place is huge. I hope you know where the boards are or it's gonna take forever."  
  
"Of course I do, I looked it up!" Alya grabs his hand and takes off.  
  
"Dang, girl, you're going to pull my arm off one of these days," he says. He sounds amused more than admonishing. "It's kinda sad I'm used to this by now, but at least you're not throwing me across the room into a locker."  
  
"That was one time! Get over it," she turns to roll her eyes at Nino's golden ones. The playful way he looks back makes her turn back forward with a smile. "Okay, it should be innn... this aisle!"  
  
Nino spots them first and goes to pick one up, much easier for the bigger teen to carry. It leaves her hand cold so she uses it to cover her mouth when she giggles at his proud, goofy grin, looking like he found her the presentation board of eternal youth. "Good work, Spielberg, now lets ring that up so we can get home straight away."  
  
Alya turns quickly and leads the way. She can't help but think about how her best friend would take her word choice the wrong way, seeing everything in rose coloured lenses. Marinette is definitely shipping her and Nino. Alya's not the waiting for her knight in shining armour type. She doesn't expect to fall for anyone fancy. Still, it's hard to see him as boyfriend material when she knows his idea of casual-formal is a tuxedo print shirt, nicer jeans, a black cap instead of red, and fancier headphones. She's seen him drink milk from the carton, spray his mouth full of whipped cream, and fall asleep on her couch, sprawled out and drooling. In that order.  
  
Marinette just gets dreamy and says they're so domestic already.  
  
Alya gets them home- _back-_ she gets them back, double-time.  


 

* * *

  
  
When she steps in with Nino, it's quiet. Too quiet.  
  
Nino calls out, "Honey! I'm home!"  
  
"We're in here!" Adrien calls back from... Her little sisters' room?  
  
"Pwincess Adwien, we don't waise ow voices!" They hear Cécile scold.  
  
_Pwincess?_  
  
Maryam sounds exasperated. "Cécile, stop trying to boss us around!"  
  
"That's right, we're all princesses," Adrien says calmly. "Since we're all the same status, we should be nice and respectful to each other."  
  
Alya and Nino reach the door and the latter quickly drops the presentation board as he doubles over in laughter. 'Pwincess Adwien' is sitting with her sisters at their low plastic play table in a kids' chair. His tall legs means he sits awkwardly, knees sticking up considerably higher than his bottom, and when he turns to grin at them with utter delight, the way his hair catches the light makes it clear there's glitter in it.  
  
"Bro, nice tiara," Nino says, wiping tears from his eyes. "What are you doing in fake fairy wings?"  
  
"Uh, cause none of the dresses fit me?" Adrien states what he deems to be the obvious.  
  
"Omigosh, I have to take a picture," Alya stifles her laugh to get a clear shot. Adrien and her little sisters all hold up their teacups, Adrien's comically small in his hand, with looks of pure joy. She takes a few to make sure at least one isn't blurry because she still can't help snickering a little.  
  
"Oh! Oh! Send it to me!" Adrien bounces.  
  
"Same," Nino says.  
  
"Sure thing," Alya says, sending it off. Marinette was totally getting it too. "We got the board, want to get back to work?"  
  
"No!" Lina yells. "We have to finish the princess tea party first!"  
  
Adrien looks at Alya with what she can only describe as sad kitten eyes. She smiles with a shrug. "Alright."  
  
He looks like she just gave him the key to the city. Then he pantomimes pouring tea only to look surprised and hold the teapot up to look into the spout. "Oh nooo! We're out of tea! Nino, can you please stay a bit and make us more?"  
  
"Dude, what? Why am I the butler?" Nino mopes, but goes in anyway.  
  
Adrien hands him the toy teapot daintily. "You're a butt kicking butler, though. Like Alfred."  
  
Alya chuckles and shakes her head. Well, it's not like they're in a rush to finish the project. She picks up the presentation board. "I'll go get working again then, join me whenever, Alfred and 'Pwincess.'"  
  
'Adwien' toasts her with his teacup and she stands outside a little ways down the hall. Okay, maybe she eavesdrops a _little_ but this is just too adorable.  
  
"So?" Adrien asks in a hushed voice.  
  
"So nothing," Nino responds as quietly.  
  
"Man. Well, don't worry, it'll happen."  
  
"I don't know..." Nino sighs. "It's up to her. I mean I haven't been exactly subtle, not by her standards. Maybe she's really just not interested and I should let it go."  
  
"I don't think you could, even if you wanted to," Adrien chuckles. "You got it bad."  
  
"... Yeah, you're right. I'll just be waiting, I guess. As long as it takes."


	2. When One Window Opens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya discusses confusing feelings with her mother, and Adrien and Marinette decide it's time to partner up for their best friends' sake.

"Maman how do you know if you like someone?"

Marlena Césaire raised her brows at her daughter. They were in the kitchen together, Alya helping with chopping and prep work as she learned recipes by observation. She smiled, "You've grown up so fast. I guess you are at that age. This is one problem I'm glad to hear you're having."

"What does that mean?"

"Oh, nothing, it's just that you put so much of yourself into taking care of your sisters, your friends, the school blog, the Ladyblog... It's nice to hear you might be looking for love, ma chérie," Marlena kissed her daughter on the cheek.

"Love? Maman, I never said— I'm just a little confused, okay? He's always been there for me, and he's a really close friend, but our other friends seem to think it might, you know, not be entirely platonic. I'm pretty sure it is, though."

"Mmmmmhm," Marlena hummed. Alya shot her a quirked brow over her shoulder. "I'm not _entirely_ sure who you're talking about, but you know, sometimes your friends know you better than yourself."

"I doubt it, they trip over both their own and each other's feelings so much it's stupid," Alya grumbled.

Marlena laughed. She had heard enough from Alya to know what she meant. "Fair point. Still, everyone your age gets confused. Boys and girls usually keep to themselves when they're younger, so becoming very close friends with someone of the opposite sex might make them think it's romantic attraction when it isn't."

"Right!"

"Then again, there's all different kinds of confusion. You know my generation had a lot of siblings too. Your oldest auntie couldn't help but think of every friend as a sort of family. That includes the man who's your uncle now. They were friends before they started dating, you know."

"Ugh, maman. Not helping!"

"I know. Nothing I say can help, you have to find out for yourself. All you can do is try, and then learn from whatever happens. You know, you seem really resistant to the idea of this boy," Marlena said, crossing her arms and smiling as she leaned on the counter, waiting for her daughter to finish chopping the onions. "Maybe too much."

Alya shoved the cutting board to her, blinking rapidly through her onion induced tears. "Like I said, he's close, and nice, dependable, fun... I like what we have. I don't want to mess it up."

"That old line, chérie?" Marlena sighed. "I remember when I was in your grade, my schoolmates changed boyfriends and girlfriends like dance partners. Even if it doesn't work out, you'd be friends again soon enough. Especially from the sounds of this boy's character. Which you have a lot of good things to say about, by the way."

Alya made a non-committal noise. Neither her or her maman said anything as they continued making dinner. The quiet of cutlery being used, hands and dishes being washed, and things being put away and took out only broken by 'How does this taste?' and responses such as more salt, or more paprika. Occasionally, papa called over some interesting tidbit of news from where he was resting in the living room, watching television. That is, until one of Alya's little sisters screamed out.

"MONKEY TROUBLE!" Lina yelled.

"Uh-oh!" They heard Adrien cry from down the hall. "That means the Gorilla found me out. I have to go, thank you for having me, Mr. and Mrs. Césaire. Sorry I couldn't stay for dinner."

"No, thank you for watching the girls for a while! You're always welcome here," Mr. Césaire said, seeing him out the fire escape window. Or, as it had come to be known thanks to the girls, The Adrien Door. He reminded, "Wings and tiara."

"Oh! Right, thank you," Adrien said, taking them off.

"Seeya!" Alya said as everyone waved goodbye and he gave them a smile and two fingered salute, one leg out of the window.

"Such a nice boy," Marlena commented, taking a seat on the couch with her husband as dinner simmered.

Alya sighed and shook her head, shrugging. "He is, and he really does love playing with the bitty ones, but I think he's partially here to spy too."

"For your 'close friend?'" Marlena asked. She was watching the television, but Alya could hear her amusement.

"Yup."

 

* * *

 

"She's totally into you too, man," Adrien said, rummaging in his locker. "I heard her talking to her maman about it, she's just sort of confused."

"You think? Aw, no. No. Dude, no, I— I don't wanna get my hopes up," Nino shut his locker door. "She doesn't like me and it's cool you're rooting for me and all, but I mean, you're Mr. Cries At Romcoms-"

"It's so beautiful when they get together, okay," Adrien glared at him.

"Right. You're a huge romantic. I'm not saying that's bad, bro, but it makes you see things you want to even if they aren't there. Most likely scenario? She _isn't_ into me, and I'll have a super hard time getting over her, but we'll still be bros and have fun, even if I die a lot inside after every time we hang out. And I'm totally cool with that."

"Ni _NO_ ," Adrien hissed at him. "You are- you two- are going to happen. Have you tried holding a boombox up outside her window blasting a romantic song?"

Nino rolled his eyes. "First of all, I don't even have a boombox, secondly she lives on the sixth floor. Look, I- I'm not talking about this any more. I'll see you in class."

Adrien sadly watched his friend leave and shut his own locker before he heard a familiar squeal of distress and the sound of someone slamming things back into their locker. He found Marinette rearranging her textbooks so were they less likely to spill out. Wait. Of course.

He leaned on the locker by hers on one forearm. She looked up, babbled a bit, arms flailing, then finally managed to say his name, shooting him a pair of nervous finger-guns, squeaking out a high, "Hey."

"Hey, yourself," he smiled. She was getting better about talking to him. He thought. Free hand on the back of his neck, he said, "Listen, I wanted to talk to you about Alya and Nino. I understand if you can't say, but do you think she's interested in him? Romantically, I mean."

"Y-You mean they're not together already?" She looked genuinely confused. "I kind of assumed— I got the feeling they were already together. Then again, she's never really spoken about it, we usually talk more about yyyy— yummy food. Mmm mmm."  
  
She rubbed her stomach with a big, toothy grin.

"Okay, so it's not just me," Adrien sighed. Marinette handled any crushes from schoolmates well and tactfully. Surely, she was level headed and sensible about these things. "But no, they're not together."

"They should be, though! They'd be so good for each other."

"I think so too!"

"... Maybe we should take matters into our own hands," she said, nerves completely dissipating. She had a wonderfully determined smirk on her face.

"What you're saying... Wingman for our besties?"

_"Yes."_

They sealed the deal with a fistbump. It was on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's not enough actually DJWiFi-centric fic so I'm here for this. We're making this happen.
> 
> I'm totally cool with the idea that Alya and Nino got together in Animan immediately, but some people have expressed their reservations and I think it's also valid to say they didn't. Even if I don't like it. So this will be a friends to lovers thing with (hopefully) not too slow burn, because I'm not about that life. I want my darling good boy of a son and beautiful Lois Lane daughter smooching ASAP.


	3. Medium Sized Mammal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette show their mettle as the greatest wingmen in history.

"Bro, what the hell?" Nino might have been upset with Adrien if the guy shoving his bag into his locker and shutting it forcefully wasn't just utterly weird over anything.

"There's a, er, a cat! In one of the classrooms. You have to help me catch it, man, and it- it could, uh, jump into your bag!"

"Wouldn't that be a good thing? We want to catch it."

"It could pee. In your bag."

Nino rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Fine, whatever."

Adrien had a big grin on his face as he pulled Nino outside of the room. Was he going to start doing this regularly too? Exiting the locker room, he noted Marinette doing the same thing to Alya. He furrowed his brows at the two. "You two going after the cat too?"

Alya raised her brows at Marinette. "I thought you said it was a hamster."

It was impressive how she could look just as panicked gesticulating with one arm as she did with both, "W-Well, I thought it was a hamster! It could be a- a small cat!"

"Large hamster!" Adrien blurted out at the same time she said 'small cat.'

Both, "Medium sized mammal!"

"In distress," Adrien frowned.

"Yes! That's the important part!" Marinette exclaimed. "We have to help the medium sized mammal that is very much in the classroom, oh here we are, let's get in and look."

Adrien made a show of putting a flat hand over his brows and hunching as he looked around cartoonishly.

"Uh," Alya just managed before both she and Nino were shoved forwards and the other pair hustled out of the classroom, slamming the door shut.

"Oh noooo," Marinette groaned, rattling the doorknob. "It's locked! I can't believe we lost our balance like that."

"I am so very embarrassed," Adrien lamented. "To think I would stumble back so clumsily. Now you two are stuck in there-"

"-alone-"

"-together-"

"-well, we better find help, maybe a custodian or something, bye!"

"Good thinking, we better get going!"

Adrien and Marinette jogged down the hall, not even subtle enough to get out of earshot and line of sight before fistbumping and saying together, "Nailed it!"

"... What the hell just happened?" Nino stared after them. Not hearing a response, he turned to find Alya with her face in her hands. "Al? You alright?"

"That was the worst wingmanning I have ever seen."

Nino slapped his forehead. Of course. He loved those two, but they were just going to make things weirder. He sighed. "That thing wasn't locked when we came in, what, did they steal the keys too?"

"By distracting a custodian with a medium sized mammal? I doubt it," she said, then hummed in thought. "Still, if it is... There's probably paperclips here. I'm going to try picking the lock."

"What? Don't try to pick the lock."

She tried to pick the lock.

Whether it was the makeshift paperclip tension wrench and picks failing her, as she claimed, or her (he hoped) lack of practice, she didn't manage it. "Knew I should start carrying my pick set."

"You have a lockpicking set."

"It's legal as long as you can show there's no intent to commit crime, alright?" Alya grumbled, taking textbooks off the shelves and making something of a pillow so she could lay by the windowed wall separating the classroom from the sweet, sweet hallway of freedom.

"Uh, what're you doing now?" Nino asked.

"Relax, nothing mostly legal," she rolled her eyes. "You know those nerds, they won't be able to stop themselves from checking in for long. I'll give them ten minutes."

"Ahh, and they won't be able to see us if we're down there. Clever girl," he said and made to copy her. Snorting, he continued, "Yeah they probably expect to come back in ten minutes and find us reciting sonnets to each other."

"That'd be more their thing. If they ever got over themselves. Make sure you set up behind the door so they don't see us coming in."

"Right, good thinking," Nino shot her a finger-gun. He groaned as he got settled in, feet against hers. "Damn it, I don't have my bag, we can't even listen to music."

Alya was silent for a moment. "Mari got me to put my phone in my bag and I don't have it either."

"They planned this."

"Actually, I have to admit I'm impressed they managed that part."

"Yeah, they were sort of a disaster otherwise. Not gonna work again now that we know what they're up to," he rubbed his temples. "They were so damn obvious, I cannot believe."

"Seriously. 'Casually locks us a room—' 'Whoopsy daisy!'" She said in different tones, mocking.

He chuckled. "Guess we'll have to pass the time like freaking neolithic cavepeople or whatever."

"I guess it might be good for me to unplug, anyway," she sighed. "Well, I'm mostly wireless, but you know."

"Yeah. What's been bothering you, anyway?"

She paused just a beat. "Nothing, really. Just saying I could stand to relax."

"Uh-huh," he shifted to prop himself up on his elbows and look at her. "You know, I'm not the quiet dude sitting around watching and listening all the time because I space out. My soul isn't leaving my body leaving me a non-observant husk."

"Creep."

"Excuse you, 'perceptive.' I like people-watching, alright? You know that 'Humans of New York' thing? Wish they translated it into French, I know what it's about but my English isn't good enough to read the entries. Super cool, though, I've thought about trying it here in Paris."

"That'd be cool, you should go for it."

"What, go up to strangers and go, 'Hey let me snap a pic and let's talk?' Nah, I- I'm a bit too shy for that. Right now. Maybe one day I'll build up to it. Anyway, point is, it's a valid hobby, more interesting than bird-watching or whatever. Now quit deflecting, my amazing skills of observation mean I know you bottle up."

"Nothing either of us can do anything about... Boko Haram massacres the main media outlets won't even give a byline to."

"Damn."

"Yup. Sometimes it gets overwhelming. Sometimes I just hate people."

He gasped loudly. "But, Al..."

"Fine. Sometimes I hate _most people,"_ she snorted, glancing at him.

He smiled and lay back again. "That's better."

After a moment of silence, Nino started tapping his shoes against hers. Even as she tapped back, she said with amusement, "What are you doing?"

He began innocently whistling the national anthem, a non-answer. She gave him more of a light kick than a tap. "Shush, we need to hear them coming."

Soft humming then, as their foot game turned into a push of war, soles against each other and pushing with their legs to try and claim more space for themselves. After finishing the anthem, he segued into another song.

"Smelly Wolf?" Alya snickered. "Really?"

"The smelliest of wolves," he paused to say.

Foot push of war was only amusing for so long, Nino complaining she had the upper hand in leg strength from running around for the Ladyblog. They ended up lounging on their makeshift pillows with their legs tangled as he continued humming whatever came to mind and waited for the worst wingmen in the world to return. She started talking softly about the more feel good and funny stories or blog posts she had encountered and the dearth of documentaries she watched. He stopped humming to comment or ask questions once in a while. When he tried to suppress the kind of laughter that was him losing it, he'd end up doing a snorting kind of snicker she teased him for every time.

"Calm down, you're like a piglet. So yeah, now I notice Helvetica _everywhere._ It's ubiquitous."

"Seriously? You watched a doc on a font? Like, not even fonts in general, one single, specific one? Why watch the most boring-ass documentaries? Those aren't even good enough to help with trivia games."

"Fight me. I thought it'd be boring at first too, but it was surprisingly interesting, alright? Sort of like you," she smiled to herself.

He cleared his throat. "Wow. _Wow._  So rude. Anyway, I can't watch nature docs, when they get eaten I feel so bad, dude, I just can't do it. That one on ridiculous mating rituals sounds amazing, though."

"It is," she snickered. "Birds are the funnie— shh, I think that's them."

It turned out to take a half hour, but as soon as they heard foosteps, they fell still and silent.

There was a sound of a chair scraping. That's how they got trapped without keys to lock the door, those two had physically blocked it. Nino and Alya exchanged unhappy squints. _Those jerks._

The door creaked open just a little. Marinette's head poked in and looked around at an apparently empty classroom.

Silently, Nino and Alya rose a little, ready to stand at a moment's notice.

She opened it more, taking a wider sweep of the room into view. Adrien's head popped up above hers, doing the same.

Not long now. Alya caught Nino's eye. She pointed at herself, threw a thumb back to the wingmen, and swiftly made a fist. Then she pointed at Nino and made a fast little running figure with two fingers. He would have been happy to take point, but there was no time to argue.

The door opened fully, softly hitting the wall behind it. As soon as it did, Alya and Nino leapt up, she rammed into the pair of matchmakers, and Nino ran to the door, holding the handle. "BOOK IT, BOOK IT!"

Alya ran out and grabbed the chair, and he pulled the door shut before the other two could get in the way. She had the chair blocking the lever doorknob, and not a moment too soon. Even through the door, Marinette's panicked babbling could clearly be heard as she violently tried the door. Violently. Good lord, she was making the chair rattle. "No! Nonononononono, you can't do this! Alya!"

"Just repaying the favour, girl," she responded. "Have a fun half hour in there. You think you can do that to me without consequences? Uh-uh."

Nino nodded smugly from behind her shoulder with a smile.

"Bro," he saw Adrien mouth more than he heard him. Nino just shook his head at him.

"Pull me away and pretend you're holding me back while you drag me down the hall," Alya muttered to him over her shoulder. Then, loud enough to be heard clearly through the door, "YOU WILL RUE THE DAY YOU CROSSED ALYA CÉSAIRE."

"Whoa, girl," Nino said, voice raised so as to be heard, but level. He pulled her back by the shoulders, then put them in an armlock, digging his heels in, as she tried to surge back forward. "That's enough, we'll just let them think about what they've done."

"BETRAY MY TRUST, WILL YOU? I SWEAR BY ALL THAT IS HOLY, I WILL-" She continued roaring as he dragged her down the hall. Their friends visibly shrank back in the classroom, away from her. Marinette bumped into Adrien and jumped about a half metre in the air.

As Nino pushed her to descend the stairs, Alya flailed her arms angrily until her head was just visible to the pair. She used two fingers to point to her own eyes, then pointed at them with a jabbing motion. She then stomped down the stairs. He gave them a look of alarm for extra effect before descending himself.

Once downstairs, they barely managed to contain themselves to snickers and laughed loudly as soon as they were outside the school. "Dude, did you see the look on their faces?! Nice acting- well, partially acting, knowing you. I have never seen Adrien so freaked out."

"God, the way Mari jumped!" She cackled. Then with a toothy grin, "I could have totally picked that door if it were locked, though."

"You worry me sometimes, Al."

They grabbed their bags again and spent a leisurely half hour strolling and talking through Paris, taking snapchats of trash bins to send to their friends with the caption, 'This is you.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nailed it. This was totally Marinette's idea, by the way.


	4. Boom, OTPception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino questions everything that has led up this point of his life, Adrien and Marinette miraculously aren't disasters as wingmen, and Nino questions everything currently happening at this point of his life.

Nino wondered if the tremor in his hands making the boom pole shake would affect the recording, or if the big fuzzy "dead cat" covering on the stereo microphone cancelled it out. It was meant to keep out wind noise, so probably. Though he didn't know how well it would fare against the swift, biting wind whirling around now as unnatural clouds loomed overhead.

When a car exploded into ear grating sounds of crumpling metal and shattering glass, crashing into a wall only metres away, he decided that nevermind, even if wind and rustling were being picked up, it probably didn't matter. It'd come out in post.

As if being in the middle of an akuma attack wasn't bad enough for his nerves, the audio equipment, including the recorder in his pocket he seriously hoped he wouldn't fall on, cost more than all the allowance he got in a year combined. Adrien had forced it on him, insisting he pay no mind to the cost. Nino _did_ pay mind to the cost because he knew _exactly_ what these things were worth. They were worth a heck of a lot. Though less than life and limb, at least to him.

Which brought him to the third thing assaulting his nerves— the girl who happened to make his heart bpm raise in normal situations, when she was perfectly chill, just by being near him, was now _incredibly_ near him. Which would still be fine if it weren't that Alya was pressed up against him because they were sharing scant shelter against the chaos. Extremely life-threatening chaos. Not that she cared, single mindedly taking video of the fight with not a shred of self-preservation in her voice as she rattled off a blow-by-blow narration. Maybe she would sound less manic when she recorded for the dub over later! Probably not!

So yeah, excuse a dude for his hands shaking a little! Nino thought maybe he'd be a boom mic guy some day, working his way up in sound production for a film studio, or as a temp job, but he imagined it would be on a nice, quiet,  _safe_ set.

Instead, he was cowering behind cover— too little cover and too close to danger, if you asked him, which Alya wasn't. What she did ask of him was to hold a microphone out towards one destructive akuma and the two superheroes fighting it while sensible people either ran away or hid themselves in much more secure locations. Their screams and yells were loud enough that he had no doubt the mic was picking _those_ up.

Nino had considered doing atmospheric recordings before, for sampling in his music, or maybe selling off. Nature sounds, or metro bustle, maybe café chatter. Battlefield ambiance? Hadn't crossed his mind! He flinched and clutched so tight his knuckles went white around the boom pole as a blast of energy from the akuma made a building wall crumble, stone exploding and falling with heavy, crumbling noises.

How had it come to this?

 

* * *

 

Disney songs played softly in the background, _"There you see her, Sitting there across the way, She don't got a lot to say..."_   With afternoon sun streaming in through the window and the playful atmosphere, the room was warmed in more ways than one.

Principal amongst them, as far as Marinette was concerned, was Adrien's presence. As difficult as it was to focus around him, her drive to help her best friend won out. Once they got going. Otherwise... She had embarrassed herself earlier by being too flustered to open the latch of the Adrien Door, which Cécile had to do for her, thus meaning she had been outdone by a literal six year old. Still, she couldn't help but grin and giggle at him and the three other adorable fairy princesses.

He seemed delighted with the whole situation, despite having been trapped on the fire escape for fifteen minutes previous. "I thought you might like the tea party! After the whole, well, locked in a classroom thing, I thought our next planning session could double as a sort of... apology?"

"Apology?" Marinette cocked her head.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, pushing one of his fairy wings back with his elbow. "Well yeah, I really seemed to make you uncomfortable that whole time. I'm sorry about that."

"Not at all!" Marinette grinned and waved her palms at him. "It wasn't you, it was— I just, being locked anywhere kind of freaks me out. With or without you. I mean, I'd rather be with you— that is—"

_"Sha la la la la la, My, oh my, Look like the boy too shy..."_

She rambled on and Adrien furrowed his brows, trying to keep up with and parse her words. Meanwhile, the one collège juniour and two ècole primaire girls present looked at each other with newfound sympathy for their eldest sister.

"— anyway, you said you had an idea?" Marinette finally finished a tight and high pitched voice.

"Right!" Adrien lit up. "I was thinking, the main reason Alya doesn't spend all that much time alone with Nino is... ?"

He snapped his fingers a few times with a smile, encouraging her as she ran it over in her head, "Other than hanging out with me? ... The Ladyblog!"

"That's right! And Nino's said he always mutes the action videos to watch them because he can't stand the sound quality, even if it means missing what Alya's saying. Of course, she says he's being a snob and if he can do better, then why doesn't he do it instead, but he says that as a sane person, he'd rather run or hide like you do. And me. Of course. I, too, run and hide. From akuma," he coughed into his hand as she giggled nervously herself with a word of agreement. "Anyway, he could do it if he just had the proper equipment, and he does have a best friend with an awful lot of disposable income— not that I mean to show off or anything—"

He winced, but Marinette smiled warmly, "No, of course, I know you're not like that!"

"Thanks," he sighed, shoulders relaxing. "Point being, if I help him out that way, there'd only be one thing keeping him from 'the sane thing.' And there's one person who always manages to get him into crazy plans anyway."

Marinette clapped in delight.

"Ohmigosh! I'm totally sure he'd be willing to do it for Alya, this could be his ticket in! I mean," she laughed lightly, "Nothing brings two people closer faster than working together when in danger— theoretically! I've heard! I would think!"

"Yeah..." Adrien agreed with a faraway look in his eyes, resting his chin in a palm.

_"Sha la la la la la, Ain't that sad? Ain't it a shame? Too bad..."_

The girls gave each other confused looks and simultaneously sipped their imaginary tea.

 

* * *

 

Nino chugged his bottle of sweet iced tea, mouth having turned into a desert amidst all that danger. He saved some for Alya, figuring she might need it later. She was shouting just as insistently towards Ladybug and Chat Noir as the rest of the media scrum. The girl truly had amazing lung capacity and could yell as loudly as the best of them. Standing right next to her, he knew that intimately.

"Alya, of the Ladyblog right?" Ladybug honed in on them. He hurriedly moved the mic to pick up the conversation without getting in Alya's shot. Coming off an adrenaline rush and having a superheroine directly paying attention to him and Alya, who was practically vibrating, he could kind of see the appeal now. Not that he wouldn't give everything back to Adrien to return to the stores ASAP. "Oh, is that your boyfriend? Wow! He's cute!"

Tea nearly shot out of Nino's nose as Alya hurriedly assured her things were platonic.

She masterfully deflected into asking more questions about the attack and superheroing. He was still coughing, tears in his eyes, full attention on just being a good boom operator when Chat Noir arrived with a wink. "Oho, looks like our lovely reporter has herself a handsome partner, as well! A- _pair_ -ently more of behind the scenes guy. Not my _couple_  tea, I do _looove_  the camera, but then, the one behind it needs some love too, no?"

What was happening? Was this happening? Nino was burning up is what was happening. He thanked his lucky stars Alya was in front of him and not seeing his red, slack-jawed face.

"He does have a point," Ladybug smirked as she pushed at the arm slung around her, Chat Noir removing it with a caught look and apologetic grin. "Behind every great woman is a great man, after all! Although, you're lucky you've got a nice guy and not some cheeky tomcat."

Chat opened his mouth to retort with a comically offended expression that melted into a frown as he looked down at his ring. Preparing his staff for a vault, he said, "Uh-oh, time for this tomcat to slink off. See you next time, b _log-vers!"_

"Got to get going myself. She's a keeper, so keep her!" Ladybug grinned at Nino before swinging off.

Alya's phone stayed fixed in place as every other camera panned to film the retreating pair. Nino himself was frozen. Around them, news crews made recaps, corresponded with their network's studios, or packed up. He felt like one of those correspondents himself, after the anchor had just asked something and the audio delay caused awkward television silence as both parties waited.

Finally, Alya asked, "Did that just happen?"

"You mean... Ladybug and Chat Noir being _weirdly_ insistent about us— us being a couple?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"Are... Are we my OTP's OTP?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter felt too short, but that last line. I could not write past it.
> 
> Since some people seem to like this (I do get kudos for this work still sometimes), so I won't orphan the work, but heads up that I most likely won't be continuing it.


End file.
